EMCF 2017: These Comedians Would Rather Buy a New Air Conditioner Than Repair Their Old One

Friday · September 15, 2017

Doors: 9:30 pm / Show: 10:00 pm

The Bell House

$25

Tickets at the Door

This event is 21 and over

*Please note this event will be mixed seated/standing. Arrive early for best seat selection.

**This event will be filmed for a documentary about the festival. By attending you consent to the use of your photograph, image, voice and likeness to be photographed, recorded, exhibited, displayed, published distributed or otherwise reproduced for any purpose in any manner in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, without any remuneration.

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Founded in 2008 by Julie Smith Clem and Eugene Mirman, The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival is the world’s first sincere-and-ironic comedy festival that celebrates a close-knit comedy community, while making fun of the trappings of mainstream festival programming.

Comedian/Actor/Writer/Producer Chris Gethard is the creator and host of the cult variety talk show, The Chris Gethard Show. After starting as a live show at New York City’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Chris Gethard Show moved to a New York City public access station where it garnered the attention of the folks at Funny or Die Productions, as well as Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Zach Galafianakis. Hailed by The New York Times as a “riveting experiment in seat-of-your pants broadcasting,” The Chris Gethard Show now takes its next step, debuting on the cable network FUSION, on Thursday, May 28th at 8:00pm. The show offers underdogs and oddballs a fan-immersed experience with celebrity guests while showing his audience just how bizarre and fun the ordinary can be.

Along with The Chris Gethard Show, Gethard can also be seen opposite Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson as Todd on the Comedy Central series Broad City and recently appeared on season 3 of Inside Amy Schumer in the critically praised "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer" episode. Other TV credits include The Office, Parks and Recreation, Louie and Bored To Death. On the feature film side, Gethard was featured in the 2013 blockbuster comedy The Heat starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and the 2010 smash hit The Other Guys, featuring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

Gethard is also a prolific standup comedian and was named one of Variety’s Ten Comics to Watch in 2010. He has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Half Hour performing his standup special and has performed at such notable festivals as Bonnaroo, South by Southwest, Lollapalooza, Just for Laughs in Chicago and Montreal, San Francisco’s Sketchfest, and more. In April 2014, Gethard released his first comedy album entitled My Comedy Album, which debuted on the Heatseekers Billboard chart.

In 2012, Gethard penned A Bad Idea I'm About to Do, a collection of personal essays which was released by Da Capo Press and had its title story featured on the hit podcast, This American Life.

Gethard was born in West Orange, New Jersey and currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife.

Eugene Mirman is a comedian, actor and hero who lives in Massachusetts. He voices “Gene” on Fox’s Emmy Award winning animated series Bob’s Burgers and hosts the Audible podcast, Hold On. He appeared regularly on Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim’s Delocated, and Archer, and has two standup comedy specials on Comedy Central. His latest comedy special is available on Netflix. Eugene is also a frequent co-host of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s science/ comedy show, StarTalk. His fifth comedy album, I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome), is available from Sub Pop Records in multiple formats — a 9 Volume Digital Set, 7LPs, a chair, and a robe.

Jo Firestone is a comedian and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Chris Gethard Show on Fusion. She was named one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch in 2015 and a New Face at this year's Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Jo recently made a card game for pun lovers called Punderdome.

Often described as a unique voice in comedy, Josie Long is one of the most respected comedians of her generation. She started stand-up at age 14 and soon after went on to win the BBC New Comedy Award.

Josie has appeared on multiple TV and Radio shows, including the UK programs The News Quiz, Just A Minute, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, The Alternative Comedy Experience, Skins, 8 out of 10 Cats, Drunk History, Russell Howard’s Stand-Up Central, and Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, as well as Australia’s Thank God You’re Here, and Comedy Central’s @midnight and Night Train with Wyatt Cenac and Hidden America for Seeso in the US. Josie has also worked extensively in factual areas - she investigated the rise of online comedy for The Culture Show on BBC2 and is the voice of the incredibly popular Radio 4 show and podcast Shortcuts. Her audio series All of the Planets Wonders is in development with Stitcher Premium in the US.

Josie has performed stand-up around the world and her eighth solo stand-up show, Something Better, started in full swing in September 2016 with a sell-out two weeks at the Soho Theatre in London, followed by a two-week run at the Barrow Street Theatre New York. In 2017, Josie has continued her success on the road, headlining at San Francisco’s Sketchfest and RIOT LA in the US, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Australia, and highlighted by a sold-out show at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End. Josie also recorded Something Better as an hour-long special for Live From the BBC, which aired in July 2017. Winning her rave reviews, Something Better is a comical and positive narrative on Brexit and the tribulations of the Labour party, wittily combining the political and the personal.

Gary Gulman is a stand-up comedian who lives in New York City. Originally from Boston, Gary has been a scholarship college football player, an accountant, a barista, a doorman, a waiter and a high school teacher. Now he is one of the most popular touring comics and one of only a handful of comedians to perform on every single late night comedy program. "Gary will be the next giant ex-Bostonian comic to break huge, CK, Burr, Gulman: You heard it here first" raved the Village Voice. He's made three TV specials, and three albums. Gary marked his 20-year anniversary in stand-up with the "It's About Time Tour," selling out theaters throughout the country. It's no wonder the New York Times wrote "Gary is finally being recognized as one of the country's strongest comedians."

Janelle James is a New York based comedian that can be seen on NBC Seeso's Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, @midnight on Comedy Central and Uproarious on Fuse (2016). She was included in the Just For Laughs Montreal's New Faces category for 2016, named one of the The 50 Most Funny People in Brooklyn 2016 and has been featured for her outstanding performance ability in the The New York Times, Portland Tribune and Time Out Magazine. Janelle can also be seen touring with Chris Rock as part of his Total Blackout Tour 2017.

Hilarious, brilliant, unpredictable – comedian/musician Reggie Watts is a staple of the international performance scene. Reggie's improvised musical sets are created on-the-spot using only his formidable voice and a looping machine. No two songs are ever the same. An avowed "disinformationist," Reggie loves to disorientate his audiences in the most entertaining way. You may not know what Reggie is going to do, but that's okay – he doesn't either. As a solo performer, Reggie was handpicked by Conan O'Brien to open nightly on Conan's entire North American "Prohibited From Being Funny on Television" tour. Reggie was featured as "Hot Comedian" in Rolling Stone's Hot Issue 2010, named SPIN Magazine's "Best New Comedian" and "Best of CMJ" 2010, and a featured profile in GQ's Man Of The Year issue 2010. Reggie released his debut comedy cd/dvd 'Why $#!+ So Crazy?' on Comedy Central Records in May 2010. He has a new album entitled 'Reggie Watts Live at Third Man Records' which will be available limited edition vinyl Spring 2011.

On screen, Reggie has appeared on The Conan O'Brien Show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, HBO's The Yes Men Save The World, Comedy Central's Michael and Michael Have Issues, Iceland TV, UK's "Funny Or Die," PBS' revamped Electric Company and the music video "What About Blowjobs?" for College Humor. Reggie can also be seen in short comedic interstitials during Comedy Central's late night block and has a pilot for the channel in the works. As a musician, Reggie recorded the EP Pot Cookies through Normative Records, sang on Regina Spektor's "Dance Anthem of the 80s" and contributed two tracks to DFA Records' Spaghetti Circus. Also the frontman for Seattle rock outfit Maktub, Reggie and his band released five albums. Reggie recorded original music featured on Louis CK's show on FX and performed the theme song for Kristin Schaal's "Penelope Princess of Pets" show.